Bradley Ward is an actor, writer, director and teacher operating out of the Illawarra, Macarthur and Sydney areas. After developing a love for the theatre and arts through his teen years, Bradley went on to study a Bachelor of Performance (Acting) at the University of Wollongong and a Bachelor of Arts (English) at the University of Sydney.

 

He has performed in a wide range of plays and musicals, seeking out opportunities to participate in and support unique theatrical experiences. Among his favourite roles have included Franz Woyzeck in Woyzeck, Andrei Prozorov in Three Sisters, Growltiger in CATS, King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas Iscariot in Godspell, Piotr Sorin in The Seagull, Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark in Our Country’s Good and The Player in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. He is equally comfortable taking to the stage without a script, having performed and competed in improvisation shows across NSW. Among his achievements in this area include twice winning the Illawarra’s annual improv competition Playmates; winning Room for Improvement’s improv competition Shame of Thrones; captaining his theatresports team ‘Stiff Upper Quip’ to a close second place in Impro Australia’s annual competition Scared Scriptless; and performing as the opening act for the inaugural Australian Improv Festival. Over the years he has performed at the University of Wollongong, University of Sydney, the King Street Theatre, the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, the Seymour Centre and the Giant Dwarf Theatre.

 

Bradley’s passion for the theatre extends beyond the footlights and has spent the last five years working increasingly as a writer, director and teacher. He has written several plays that have been produced for the stage in the Illawarra, including Hipster Apocalypse: A Zombie Cabaret (2014), Fracture (2015), and Beautiful Chaotic Nonsense (2016). In 2019 his new short play Missed Connections was submitted to the Short + Sweet Illawarra festival where it won the Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice Awards. He also recently had the pleasure to participate in the annual ATYP National Studio Residency.

 

Bradley has been with Rising Arts since its inception, working as one of the company’s improv teachers, performing in and assistant directing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), and co-directing Heathers: The Musical. He is excited for the upcoming 2020 season, where he will be writing and directing Rising Arts Productions first original play to be staged as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival.